Letter To OUR Athlete

I know that this is their life, their career, their game, their experience. But this what is in my mind and heart. Today it is a game; tomorrow it is their career and their families.

I want them to play with courage and grit now. I want them to play with love and empathy for their teammates now. I want them to have fun, now.

But I want them to live with courage and grit later in life. I want them to live with love and empathy for their family and co-workers later. I want them to have fun, later.

So these are my thoughts for today and for later:

123 Anywhere St.
All States, AS 76543

Daughter, son, athlete,

My number one goal for you today is that you OUTWORK everyone.

I want you to think, “HEART and HUSTLE over everything.”

LISTEN to your coach and do what they want. Play SMART. Play with your TEAMMATES.

But get in there, FIGHT (the right way), and MAKE PLAYS. Don’t be afraid to mess up. Just get after it. Take chances. Fix your mistakes, and try again.

Don’t just run around out there; touch and impact the game as much as you can. The game isn’t going to last forever, and you won’t get to play forever. Do as much as you can while you can.

Today, play as hard as you can, don’t worry about messing up, COMPETE for every ball, ADJUST, LEARN from every success and fail, and smile.

Love,
Dad, Mom, Coach (grandma/grandpa/auntie/uncle/family friend/etc.).